Flocking machine



June 21, 1960 'c. M. DAVIS 2,941,841

FLOCKING MACHINE Filed June so, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fa l.

INVENTOR. 630491. All. DOV/S June 21, 1960 c. M. DAVIS 2,941,841

FLOCKING MACHINE Filed June 30, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

FIG. 2.

INVENTOR. CQQL M. OflV/S United States Patent FLGCKING MACHINE Carl M. Davis, 4825 Sunnyside Drive, Riverside, Calif.

Filed June '30, 1958, Ser. No. 745,647

Claims. (Cl. 30236) This invention relates to a flocking machine, and more particularly to an apparatus for delivering flock particles at a pre-determined rate to a nozzle adapted to be employed in spraying objects such as Christmas trees.

In my co-pending application Serial No. 620,940, filed November 7, 1956 for a Flocking Machine, now Patent No. 2,842,407, dated July 8, 1958, and also in my previous Patent No. 2,786,721, issued March 26, 1957 for a Flocking Machine, there is shown and described apparatus for applying relatively large quantities of flock at pro-determined rates to objects such as Christmas trees. The machines described in said patents are particularly adapted to teed relatively large quantities of flock without reloading, and are employed for operations in which large numbers of Christmas trees, for example, are sprayed during a continuous run. There exists, however, a substantial market for smaller and less expensive flocking machines adapted to be employed by the owners of realtively small Christmas tree lots, for example, so that such owners may apply flock to smaller numbers of Christmas trees in a highly economical manner. To produce flocking machines particularly adapted for such smaller oper tors, it is desirable and necessary that the number of motors be minimized, and that relatively expensive apparatus such as change-speed devices be eliminated.

In view of the above and other factors characteristic of flocking apparatus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved flocking machine particularly adapted for use by the owners or operators of rela tively small Christmas tree lots and the like, said apparatus being characterized by low cost and relatively small size.

A further object of the invention is to provide a flocking apparatus adapted to effect feeding of flock at a controlled rate but without the necessity of employing change-speed devices for the moving elements.

A further object of the invention is to provide a compact, relatively inexpensive flock-feeding apparatus having only a single electric motor.

A further object of the invention is to provide a flocklfeeding apparatus which is relatively economical and compact, yet which produces a highly accurate controlled feeding of flock particles.

These and other objects and advantages of the inven tion will be more fully set forth in the following specification and claims, considered in connection with the attached drawings to which .they relate.

in the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved flock-feeding apparatus, portions of .the housing being broken away to illustrate the internal drive elements;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line "22 of Figure 1;

. F-igure 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1 and showing the relationship between the rotating paddle means and the upper and lower teed-control plates;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary horizontal view corresponding to the lower-left portion of Figure 3, but showing the feed-control plates in the position adapted to produce maximum feeding of flock;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional View taken on the broken line 5-5 of Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical section on line 6--6 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus is illustrated as mounted in a generally rectangular housing having side walls 10 and a cover 11, certain of the side walls being perforated (Figure 1) in order to elfect ventilation of the internal elements. Suitably welded to the underside of cover 11, around a large circular opening therein, is a generally conical element 12 which may be referred to as a feed hopper. Hopper 12 is adapted to effect convergent downward feeding of flock particles from a flock storage and feed apparatus, to be described subsequently, to an angular conduit 13 ('Figure 2) into which the lower or small end of the conical hopper 12 is inserted. Conduit 13 leads to the center or axis of an impeller housing 14 having .a tangential outlet 16 adapted to be connected .to .a hose (not shown). Such hose may extend through an opening 17 (Figure 1) in one of the side walls 10, and may have a suitable nozzle provided at its outer end, for example as described with relation to my co-pending application Serial No. 647,613, filed March 21, 1957, for an Attachment for Spraying Flock, now abandoned. An impeller 18 (Figure 6) is journalled in the housing 14 for rotation as will be described subsequently, so that the flock particles feed from conduit 13 through the rotating impeller 18 and then pass out the outlet 16 to the flock hose.

Proceeding next to a description of the drive and mounting means for various elements, a fixed support frame .19 is suitably mounted on the bottom wall of the housing, and may include the horizontal and parallel bars '21 shown in Figures 1 and 2. One of the angle bars 21 may be employed, through suitalble connector means, to support the impeller housing 14 and thus the conduit 13 connected thereto. A motor platform 22 is pivotally connected at 23 to the angle bars 21, and serves as the pivotal support for an electric motor 24 which is adapted to drive both the impeller 18 and the fiock-feeding mechanism to be described subsequently.

More particularly, the shaft of motor 24 .is connected to a relatively large pulley or sheave 26 and thus, through a belt 27, to a relatively small sheave 28 on the shaft for impeller 18. Belt 27 also extends around a pulley or sheave 29 on a horizontal shaft 31 which extends rotatably through the wall of feed hopper 12 to a gear box 32 located in the mid-portion of the hopper. A suitable bearing 33 is provided externally of hopper 12 for the shaft 31, being supported by a bracket or frame 34 which extends downwardly to one of the angle bars '21. A tension spring 36 is connected between support frame 19 and the edge of motor platform 22 remote from the pivotal connection 23 therefor, and serves to pivot the motor in a direction maintaining the proper tension on belt 27.

Proceeding next to a description of the dock storage and feed apparatus, an upper feed-control plate or grate 37 is mounted horizontally above the cover 11, said plate being generally disc-shaped. More particularly, the'upper plate 37 is seated peripherally on an annular seating or spacer ring 39, and both the upper plate 37 and the seating ring 39 are bolted to the cover 11 by means of bolts 41 (Figures 2-4). The seating ring 39- also serves as the seat for the flanged lower edge of an upward'lysextending cylindrical storage or reservoir member 42 having a suitable cover indicated at 43 in Figure 1. .As best shown in Figure 5, the lower portion of the reservoir member 42 is welded to the periphery of seating ring 39. The assembly comprising cover 11, seating ring 39, storage or reservoir cylinder 42 and upper feed-control disc 37 is thus rigidly connected together.

A second and smaller diameter feed-control grate or disc plate 44 is seated peripherally on cover 11 radially inwardly of seating ring 39 and in. surface engagement with the upper feed-control disc 37. Such second plate 44 has a thickness equal 'to or only slightly less than the thickness of ring 39, so that the peripheral portion of the second plate 44may fit slidably between the first plate 37 and the portion of cover 11 outwardly adjacent the upper end of hopper 12.

I flows downwardly through The upper and lower feed-control plates 37 and 44, re-

spectively, areprovided with corresponding perforations 46' and 47 which are illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 as formed along a series of radial lines. In Figure 3, the perforations 46 and 47 are shown as being completely out of registry, so that downward flow of flock from reservoir'42 is blocked. In Figure 4, on the other hand, the perforations 46 and 47 are in complete registry, so that the downward flow of flock is a maximum.

In order to shift the lower and movable feed-control plate 44 between the full-feed position of Figure 4 and the shut-off position of Figure 3, as well as to any number of intermediate control positions which regulate the rate of flock feed, a feed-control handle 48 is connected to the underside of plate 44 by means of bolts indicated at 49 in Figures 5. The handle 48 extends radially outwardly through suitable openings in the hopper 12 and cover 11, and has a suitable pointer 51 fastened thereto as best shown in Figures 1 and 5. The pointer 51 is associated with marking means 52 (Figure 1) provided on the outer portion of reservoir member 42, in order that the feeding position of the lower plate 44 may be accurately determined. It is to be understood that the handle 48 and thus lower disc 44 are only rotated through a slight angle, as required to shift between the shut-off and full-feed positions shown in Figures 3 and 4.

In order to create a predetermined flow of flock through perforations 46 and 47 from storage reservoir 42 into hopper 12,'and thus into the impeller housing 14 and the flock-feeding hose, a paddle means 53 is provided horizontally in the reservoir 42 immediately above upper feed-control plate 37. The paddle means 53 is illustrated 'to comprise a pair of arcuate paddles extending in opposite directions from a hub 54. The hub is secured to a -shaft, not'shown, extending downwardly through a stahopper 12 and radially outwardly of the shield 62 to the conduit 13.

Operation In the operation of the flock apparatus, the operator fills the reservoir 42 with flock and then places the cover 43 thereon. During this operation, the feed-control handle 48 is shifted to the position shown in Figure 3, at which the sets of perforations 46 and 47 are completely out of registry, and fiow of flock downwardly into hopper 12 is blocked.

The motor 24 is then set in operation to effect, through the belt 27, rotation of the sheaves 26, 28 and 29. Rotation of sheave 28 effects rotation of the impeller 18 (Figure 6) to cause sucking of air from conduit 13 to tan gential outlet 16 and thus to the hose (not shown) leading to the flock nozzle. Rotation of sheave 29 effects, through shaft 31 and suitable gearing in gear box 32, I0- tation of hub 54 and thus of paddle means 53. The paddle means 53 rotates relatively slowly and causes agitation of flock along the top surface of upper feed-control plate 37 The operator then adjusts the handle 48 to eifect a predetermined degree of registry between the perforations 46 in upper plate 37, and the perforations 47 in lower plate 44. This causes feeding of flock at a controlled rate through the perforations and around shield 62 into the hopper 12. The downwardly-flowing flock particles are thus introduced into the conduit 13, from which they are sucked immediately into the impeller housing 14 and out the outlet 16.

Various embodiments of the present invention, in addition to what has been illustrated and described in detail,

may be employed Without departing from the scope of the accompanying claims.

I claim: 1. A flocking machine, which comprises a relatively 'large diameter unconstricted flock storage member, a

single pair of upper and lower feed-control plates mounted across at least the majority of the lower end of said flock storage member in generally horizontal relation- -to the other in order to control the degree of registry between said perforations and thus the rate of flock feed \'from said flock storage member downwardly through tionary sleeve 56 to the gear box 32. Sleeve 56 extends axially through the feed-control plates 37 and 44, and is secured in position by means of a horizontal bracket 57 (Figure 5) to which it is rigidly connected. ,The bracket 57 is supported by screws or bolts 58 extending downwardly from the stationary upper feed-control plate 37.

The screws 58 are shown in Figure 5 as threaded into the outer portions of bracket 57, and as having cylindrical spacers 59 provided there-around between the upper surface of bracket 57 and the lower surface of plate 37 The spacers 59 are disposed in suitable arcuate slots which are provided in the lower and movable feed-control plate 44 in order to permit the above-described pivotal movement thereof about the stationary sleeve 56 which serves as an axis.

Referring to Figure 2, additional screws 58a are correspondingly connected to angle brackets 61 which are secured to a downwardly-extending cylindrical shield or housing 62. The housing 62, which is thus supported, prevents the downwardly-moving flock particles from coming into contact with gear box 32. An extension-portion 63 of the housing 62 is mounted above shaft 31 to prevent flock from contacting the same. It is to be understood that the perforations 46 and 47 are only provided -in the space outwardly of the shield or housing 62, and v inwardly ofseating ring 39. It follows that the flock said feed-control plate, downwardly-convergent hopper means mounted beneath said feed-control plates to receive flock passing therethrough from said storage member, a centrifugal blower having its eye communicating with the small-diameter lower portion of said hopper means and adapted to draw flock and air therefrom and discharge the same into a flock-conducting hose, said blower including a rotating centrifugal impeller, paddle -means rotatably mounted in said flock storage member adjacent the upper one of said feed-control plates, an electric motor, drive means to connect said electric motor both to said impeller and to said paddle means, at least a portion of said drive means being disposed in said hopper means, and shield means to shield said portion of said drive means'from falling flock.

2. The invention as claimed in claim 1, in which said drive means includes a gear box disposed in the upper portion of said hopper, a first shaft extending upwardly from said gear box to said paddle means, a second shaft extending laterally from said gear box to a sheave, a belt 1 to connect said electric motor to said sheave.

3. The invention as claimed in claim 2, in which said .means to effect shifting of one of said feed-control plates relative to the other comprises a handle adapted to effect rotation of said one plate about its axis and through a small angle, and index means to indicate the degree of rotation of said one plate relative to said other plate.

4. The invention as claimed in claim 2, in which said paddle means comprises a pair of paddle blades having their centers disposed in the mid-portion of said storage member and extending outwardly therefrom adjacent said upper feed-control plate to the outer portions of said storage member.

5. Apparatus for effecting downward feeding of flock at an accurately controlled rate, which comprises a flock storage element having a large-diameter unconstricted downwardly-facing opening at the lower end thereof, a first horizontal plate having perforations therein for flow of flock therethrough, means to mount said first plate in fixed relationship over said entire opening, a vertical sleeve extended through the central portion of said first plate, means to fixedly mount saidsleeve to said first plate, a second horizontal plate having perforations therein corresponding generally to the perforations in said first plate, said second plate having a central opening adapted to receive said sleeve whereby said second plate may rotate about said sleeve with said sleeve serving as an axis, means to movably support said second plate beneath said first plate in surface engagement with the underside thereof, means to effect predetermined rotational movement of said second plate about said sleeve, agitator means mounted in said flock storage element adjacent said first plate, drive means extended through said sleeve to said agitator means to effect rotation thereof, a shield mounted beneath said second plate around said sleeve and radially-inwardly of the perforations in said first and second plates, and means connected between said shield and said first plate to effect support of said shield, said last-named means extending through openings in said second plate to permit rotation thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,529,173 Didinger Mar. 10, 1925 2,048,139 Porteous July 21, 1936 2,131,954 Jackisch Oct. 4, 1938 2,305,203 Smith Dec. 15, 1942 2,310,620 Dye Feb. 9, 1943 2,512,175 Sawyer June 20, 1950 2,721,767 Kropp Oct. 25, 1955 2,842,407 Davis July 8, 1958 

